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Curious afterlives: the enduring appeal of the criminal corpse

Not only did the criminal corpse have actual medicinal and magical power for Europeans, it also had social and cultural meaning as an object, a curio or secular relic. This paper considers the appeal of notorious bodies. From books bound in the skin of a criminal, to preserved and exhibited heads, f...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Tarlow, Sarah
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Routledge 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4917903/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27366110
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2016.1181328
Descripción
Sumario:Not only did the criminal corpse have actual medicinal and magical power for Europeans, it also had social and cultural meaning as an object, a curio or secular relic. This paper considers the appeal of notorious bodies. From books bound in the skin of a criminal, to preserved and exhibited heads, from fragments of the hangman’s rope to the exhibition of the skeleton, the story of the afterlife of criminal bodies and the material culture most immediately associated with them begins with the collection and exchange of bodies and moves into contemporary preoccupations with authenticity. This paper considers the bodies of three notorious criminals of the eighteenth century: Eugene Aram, William Burke and William Corder. It ends with some reflections on the glamour of the authentic body of a notorious or celebrated individual – using the response to the discovery of the body of Richard III as an example.